School districts in locations across the country are now in the process of considering what their role will be in the event that the United States happens to be hit by a bird influenza pandemic. There are some school districts which have already been drafting plans covering such issues to be examined as communicating with the parents of their students and managing to continue to provide instruction in the event that schools turn out to be closed for long periods of time during the pandemic. President Bush's plan for dealing with a pandemic says that businesses, communities, and the public should be prepared to be "on their own" for significant periods of time, and that schools should develop alternative procedures for the continuity of instruction and for staff absences. According to Fran Townsend, who serves in the post of Assistant to the President for homeland security and counter-terrorism, "The best way to protect oneself from an outbreak is to take action at the community level to reduce the spread of the disease." While the federal government "carries significant responsibility here," she says, "all of their plans depend upon the collective action of individuals, families, businesses, schools, and state and local governments."